


To Survive - Daily Life

by Alltheleviathans



Category: Buzzfeed - Fandom, Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series), Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series), Danganronpa
Genre: Brent's the one who's forgotten theirs, Canon-Typical Violence, Danganronpa AU, Ultimate Talents, archive warnings for future chapters, don't take this seriously tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-08 16:16:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13461891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alltheleviathans/pseuds/Alltheleviathans
Summary: DanganRonpa auYou can read this even if you haven't heard of DanganRonpa. I'm just messing around with this idea.





	1. Prologue: Everyday Life

Buzzfeed inc.  
The building towered over all the other buildings in the area. Like it was standing in the center of everything. At least, that's what it was to Ryan. The company scouted for employees all over America with a variety of different special talents. You couldn't just apply there. They had to be the ones reaching out to you. It was said that if you were one of the talented people to be noticed by them, you were set for life. It wasn't an exaggeration either. Those who got a job there rarely left. Most even got famous in their field of study. They were referred to as 'Ultimates'. Each with their own unique talent.

There were two rules for those who wished to be a part of it. One, you had to have finished high school. Two, you had to be the very best at what you do.

Ryan hadn't even been trying to get into it when he'd gotten the letter. It was a total surprise. Not an unwelcome one, either. Though he hadn't been aiming for it, everyone wanted to work there. Even just knowing you're the best of the best was fulfilling. For Ryan, this was ghost hunting. 'The Ultimate Ghost Hunter'. He had muttered out loud as he'd read the letter. He liked the sound of that. Excitedly, he'd been waiting for the first day. Buzzfeed didn't require any sort of interview to get in. As soon as you had the scouting letter. You were an employee. Those who didn't want to be, if there were any, just didn't show up. Though, he had never heard of someone who'd declined them before.

And that's how the amateur ghost hunter ended up here. Standing before the immense building. It was intimidating, that was certain. He felt nervous to take the first step towards his new life. His life as an ultimate. He was right to be nervous. As soon as he opened the doors. A dizziness overcame him. And before he knew it, everything went black.

Nothing could've prepared him for what was to come. If he'd known this was what would happen, he'd thrown that letter away without even opening it. As he laid unconscious, he didn't dream. A sign of what was to come. There was only a deep empty void to welcome him to his new life. It wasn't a life of hope, as he'd thought. Instead, it would turn out to be a life of despair.

The man groaned softly as he woke up. Falling off the couch he'd been laying on in shock. How did he end up here? Didn't he just enter Buzzfeed's offices? Was he inside there now? His head hurt from the fall. But he still took his time to look around. He seemed to be in some kind of lounge. There was a coffee machine there. The couch he just fell off of. The cups in the cupboard with the name of the same company his last memory was from. That must mean he was inside, right? But how did he get there?

And why were there metal plates blocking the places where windows should be?

Saying the poor Ryan was confused was an understatement. Perhaps he'd passed out from how nervous he was, someone had noticed him, and they'd carried him here to rest? It certainly wouldn't be the first time his nervousness would have cause a black out. But so suddenly? What a first impression to make. But yes, that must be it. There was no other reason that could make sense to why he woke up here.

He was about to leave the room when his foot caught on something. And with a scream, Ryan fell down once more. Putting his hands out to break his fall. As he was trying to get up. He noticed what he'd tripped on.  
He heard the scream before he noticed he was the one screaming. Again.

It was a person. He had tripped over a person. when that person started moving, a squeal escaped the frightened man. He jumped up to his feet. Ready to defend himself against the man who apparently had been sleeping on the floor.

"What the fuck..." The man muttered sleepily. He pushed himself up on his knees. Noticing the other man caused him to fall down scoot back in obvious surprise. Ryan took a few steps back as well. He didn't recognize the guy. He had bed hair. And he looked like he hadn't shaved in a while.

He stood up, his height catching Ryan off guard. "Who are you? Where am I? .... Why'd you scream so loudly?" The guy asked. As if he had all the answers of the universe. "I'm not sure." He answered, cautiously. Why didn't he know where he was either? What was going on? "I'm pretty sure we're at Buzzfeed, I-"  
"Ah, yeah!" The man shouted in sudden realization. "We're in the office right now? This was supposed to be my first day." He explained himself. Much to Ryan's surprise. "You too?" He asked, almost to himself. "Huh. Is this some kind of welcome thingy then?" He added. The stranger scratched his stubble, thinking it through. "I don't know why they'd do that, though."

He had a point. Wasn't Buzzfeed supposed to be professional? Pranks like these didn't exactly show that. Perhaps he'd been viewing this company the wrong way?   
"Anyway..." The person spoke up again. "What are you?"

"What am I?" Ryan repeated. Confusion clear in his voice. The guy just rolled his eyes. Like it was obvious what he'd meant. "You said you work here as well. So obviously, what is your talent? What Ultimate are you?" It seemed like this guy didn't beat around the bush. But Ryan didn't like his arrogant tone. He wasn't simply going to let him talk down to him. "How about you tell me your name first, and then we'll get to that." He said, instead.

"Fine." He answered. That was easy. "I'm Shane Madej. I'm the Ultimate Skeptic." Shane added. He was a skeptic, then. Ryan hadn't known there was an Ultimate of that kind. "The Ultimate Skeptic?" He repeated. "So what, you just crush everyone's hopes and dreams for a living?" 

He thought it was funny. But Shane didn't seem as amused. "Whatever." He retorted, not even trying to defend his 'talent'. "It's your turn. What are you?"

"Ryan Bergara." He replied, a smile on his face as he looked up at the other. "I'm the Ultimate Ghost Hunter." He was practically beaming with pride.

Immediately after he finished talking, Shane was laughing. He was laughing so hard that he nearly fell down again. "Ghost hunter?" He repeated. Catching his breath. "And you talk shit about my talent? That's basically like being a delusional idiot!"

It was decided, Ryan did not like this Shane. "So I guess you don't believe in the supernatural then?" He gritted out. Trying not to start a fight on his first day by simply ignoring what he'd said about his talent. "No. Of course not. Like any sane person would." He shook his head as he answered. That stupid smile still on his face.

Ryan sighed. "I won't argue with you about it. For now. Even though, for the record, it's totally real. We should look for other people now. See if we can figure out what's going on." He tried to sound serious. "Got it, Boogara." Shane answered with a laugh, ruining his attempt to make this situation more serious. "Don't call me that!"

When they left the room. They were both surprised to see that this part of the office was empty too. It seemed to be the working place. Desks lined up with shut down computers on top of them. All of the chairs were empty. They both stood in silence for a while. Until Ryan finally spoke up. "Maybe... They left for the day and forgot about us?" He guessed. He hoped.

Shane turned to him. Seeming unconvinced. "And they blocked the windows on their way out?" He raised his voice, frustration and confusion clearly there. "I don't know! I don't see you coming up with a better explanation!" Ryan responded. Raising his voice as well. He opened his mouth to respond. But before he could.

"Hey!"

A different voice interrupted him. He didn't seem to mind. The exact opposite, both of them immediately turned to the source of the voice. Two men ran to them. A tall blond one (He was still smaller than Shane however. Ryan was convinced he was just a giant.) and a smaller brunette. They were both wearing glasses. "Did you guys wake up here too?"

For a moment he had thought it might have just been a misunderstanding. That these two would welcome them to the company and apologize for the confusion. But, it seems he had hoped too soon. Judging by that question, they didn't seem to know either. "Yeah, we just woke up." Shane answered for him. Pointing at the room behind them. "What is this?" Ryan added.

"We don't know either." The smaller of the two spoke, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. The taller one put his hand on his shoulder in what seemed to be a comforting gesture. "C'mon, we can't give up yet. Someone has to know something about what happened. We've got to keep thinking positively." He tried to reassure him. "But these are already the fourteenth people."

"wait, fourteen?" Ryan repeated. Raising his eyebrows. "Aren't there supposed to be a lot more people working here? Where is everyone?" He asked. Earning an agreeing "Yeah!" From his taller counterpart.

The blonde man turned to them. There was something friendly about the way he looked. Comforting, even. "Oh, you don't know yet." Despite the way he came across. He almost seemed mournful when he said that. Glancing at his friend before turning back to them. "We've been trapped here. Well, we're not sure if there's absolutely no way out. But that's what it looks like. Everyone says the same thing. They blacked out as soon as they came near the office. And woke up somewhere inside, without knowing what happened."

As he explained. Ryan felt himself tense up and freeze in place. They were... Trapped? That couldn't be true. They were definitely in Buzzfeed's office. The company's name was written across the wall. It was known around the world. This couldn't have been a trap. Why would someone even do this?

"You're joking, right?" He looked up at the man besides him as he spoke. He seemed more relaxed than he was. But Ryan could tell he was having trouble staying that way. "This is just some weird... Thing to welcome the new employees... Right? In a second everyone's gonna jump out and laugh at us for believing this." As he explained it. He looked the other two over. Clearly looking for any sign that could tell him that he was speaking the truth. Perhaps Ryan had been too quick to judge his talent as the Ultimate Skeptic.

"Unfortunately, no." The small man near whispered. "I want to believe that too but..." He sighed as he trailed off, his friend taking over for him "We're trying to look for a way out and other people. We agreed to meet up again at 6 pm. For now, you two should look for the others. See if you can help us with finding answers." He explained. Ryan noticed that Shane's fists were balled.

"We understand." Ryan spoke for the both of them. Not wanting a repetition of when they met. These guys were obviously just as confused as they were. "Thank you." The tall one nodded as he spoke. "We should introduce ourselves as well, while we're at it!' He added. Seeming way more enthusiastic all of a sudden. "My name is Keith Habersberger. And I'm the Ultimate Comedian!" He said it with a dramatic flare. Like he was the main event. Then he turned to his friend. "I'm Zach. Kornfeld. The Ultimate Racer." He introduced himself a lot softer than his friend, which was sort of adorable in a way.

"I'm Shane and this is Ryan." Shane quickly said before Ryan could even try to start. "I'm the Ultimate Skeptic and he's the Ultimate Ghostbuster. Can we go now?"

"Ghost Hunter!" Ryan corrected him. Throwing him an angry look. "Whatever." He simply responded.

"Uh..." Zach started. Looking between the two. "Are you two gonna stick together?" Even though he didn't actually say it. It was obvious he thought that was a bad idea. "Sure. What could a ghost hunter do on his own, anyway?" Shane mocked him. Ryan wasn't planning to give him what he want by arguing with him. "Whatever." He answered instead, repeating what the other had said earlier.

That's how they ended up wandering around the first floor of the office. Looking around in search of other people, and hopefully, an exit. They had two hours before it was 6 pm. That meant they'd been sleeping for 7 hours. Though, this had been the least shocking discovery of the day.

After a while. They got to the total of 12 other people met. Not including the two of them. Ryan made a list in his head to try and remember everyone.

there was:  
Steven Lim, The Ultimate Critic.  
Adam Bianchi, The Ultimate Technician.  
Andrew Ilnyckyj, The Ultimate Actor.  
Ned Fulmer, The Ultimate footballer.  
Eugene Lee Yang, The Ultimate Bartender.  
Sara Rubin, The Ultimate Illustrator.  
Helen Pan, The Ultimate Model.  
Zack Evans, The Ultimate Basketball Player.  
Jen Rigatoni, The Ultimate Dog Trainer.  
and Brent Bennet, who said he didn't remember his talent. Shane didn't seem to buy that. But Ryan believed him. He seemed pretty confused. More so than the others.

They were all unique people. And Ryan would be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated by them. Some were more timid, like Adam or Sara. While others didn't seem to have a problem with just generally being a loud person. Like Ned and Zack. Ryan had a hard time imagining himself as a part of these Ultimates. But that was probably just him.

"Okay, speak up, don't be afraid! What have you all found?" Steven's voice sounded through the entrance hall. This was where they'd been told to meet up at 6 pm. And it seemed everyone did show up. Keith was the first to speak up. "Me and Zach looked around the work spaces. Seems like none of the computers even turn on." He started. "Which is weird, because looking at most other electronic devices we do have electricity." Zach finished, adding, "Maybe Adam should go take a look at that later. You're the Ultimate Tech, right?" Adam looked up, like he hadn't expected the question. "Uh, yeah. I'll go see." He nodded.

Sara was the next to go. "Me, Brent and Helen investigated those rooms down the hall. It seems like they're supposed to be bedrooms? Each one has one of our names on them. There seems to be one for everyone." She explained. "It's weird though, dorm rooms in an office building. It doesn't seem like they were here before. The rooms look like they haven't been used before." Brent added.

"I went to check out the second floor with Jen." Zack continued when he was certain Brent had finished. "It was blocked off, though. Doesn't seem like there's a way through." He shook his head.

Steven turned to Andrew next. With an eye roll, the man started talking. "There's a kitchen and a lounge. It doesn't look like we'll be running out of food anytime soon. Everything's stocked full."

"Me and Ned tried the entrances." Eugene spoke up with a sigh of defeat. Ned continued, his loud voice catching everyone's attention. "We tried everything! We couldn't get any of 'em open."

"Did you try force? Breaking the barricades?" Shane then suggested. But before either of them could answer, a loud voice was heard over the speakers.

Everyone immediately went silent as they heard the voice loud and clearly. Ryan could feel a shiver going through him. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Hello?" The voice sounded carefree. Out of place, almost. "Is this stupid thing even on-" Despite the tomfoolery, no one spoke. They all just listened to the weird voice. Maybe finally they'd get an explanation. Finally they'd get the 'haha, gotcha!'. And they'd be able to go home.

"Test, one two. Okay. Helloooo new employees! Congrats at your new job here. And all that." Whoever was speaking cleared their voice. "You kids might have already noticed that this isn't just a normal job. No, you won't have to do anything! Except, stay here. For how long, you ask?" Ryan's suspicions had been confirmed when the next words were said. "The rest of your lives." He had never been so uncomfortable about being right.

"What the fuck?!" Eugene spoke up. "You think this is some kind of joke? It isn't funny!" he continued. "He's right!" Jen backed him up. "We have rights. You can't just fool around like this! Show yourself!"

"Okay, okay. I'll explain everything in detail!" The voice replied. So he could hear them? "Get ready for my grand appearance!" He announced, and before they knew it. A teddy bear jumped out from behind the receptionist desk. It was black and white, split in the middle. One black eye and one red one. Everyone was stunned in collected confusion.

The bear started talking.

"My name is Monokuma! and I'm running this company now!"

"A stuffed animal?" Sara exclaimed what everyone had been thinking. The bear didn't seem to like that. "I'm not a stuffed animal!" He yelled. "Is it some kind of machine?" Andrew questioned, turning to Adam, who simply shrugged.

"Stuffed animal or machine. I care more about what you just said." Shane spoke up. Catching everyone's attention. "Yeah, what did you mean, the rest of our lives?!" Ryan snapped out of it. Cutting Shane off before he could continue.

"Oh, it's simple." Monokuma answered with a laugh. "You'll have to live in this building forever... Unless...  
You commit murder! And get away with it, of course!"


	2. Everyday life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma explains what the rest of their lives is gonna look like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but I liked to end it here.

"Murder?!" Keith exclaimed. His shock could clearly be heard in his voice. the bear's voice the complete opposite tone. "Yes, murder! Stabbing, strangling, crushing, hitting, shooting, whatever you can think of!" He summed it all up way too enthusiastically. Which pissed Ryan off even further.

"I have a question." Andrew spoke up. Lazily putting his hand up to get the bear's attention. "You said we needed to get away with it as well. Does that mean, if someone gets killed, there'll be some kind of investigation?" His question seemed simple. But it stopped everyone's complaining. Replacing the noise with a tension that anyone could sense.

Before Monokuma could even respond, Jen turned to him and spoke "You're not actually going along with this, are you? This is sick!" To which he simply shrugged. "We should get enough info out of this thing."

"Actually, it's exactly as he says!" Monokuma responded. "After a murder, an investigation will start. And you fuck-os better pay attention when you're investigating the lifeless body of your former co-worker, because after a while the class trial will start. Where the blackened and spotless face off in an epic debate of life and death!"

"Life and death?" Steven repeated. All color seemed to have drained from his face long ago. The poor guy was obviously terrified. "Yeah!" Monokuma didn't seem to have any sympathy for him, though. "Stop repeating me like some kind of parrot! It's annoying as shit!"

"Anyway, life and death. Becauseeeeeee? Can anyone guess?" He looked around the room. Which, since he didn't have any eyes meant he was just turning his head left and right. "C'mon! There are no wrong answers, we're all here to learn!"

Helen was the first one to speak up. "If we don't get it right, the murderer will be able to leave. But if what you're saying is true. Does that mean that, if we don't get it right..."

"... You won't kill us then, right!?" Zack interrupted her. His eyes widening in shock. He was leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the bear.

"DING DING DING DING!!" His yell was followed by malicious laughter. "If you point to the correct murderer. Only that person will be punished. BUT if you kiddos can't figure out who the killer is or accuse the wrong person. Everyone BUT the murderer will be punished!"

"And in a life or death situation..." Brent mused, speaking slowly. "Punished means-"

"Execution!" Monokuma finished. Silencing the room. The tension was the most dreadful thing Ryan had ever felt in his life. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted it to all be some cruel joke or terrible nightmare. Even now, he still couldn't accept that this was happening.

When no response came, the bear just continued. "You might say, 'Oh! But mister Monokuma, there is NO WAY anyone here could kill just for their own selfish gain!' But think about it. You are all strangers! If even one of you wants to get out. Another one needs to be 'dealt with'." He finished his speech with an ear-piercing laugh. Ryan felt sick.

Of course he wanted to be able to leave. He wanted to see his family again. Everyone did. But was it really enough to commit murder? To have everyone else murdered so you could be the lone survivor? No one in the room seemed capable of doing something like that. But Monokuma was right. If even one person was plotting a murder. There was a chance that he could be...

"Ryan."

He hadn't noticed how much he'd been shaking until he felt Shane's hand on his shoulder and was snapped out of it. He looked at the taller man. Who actually seemed concerned. "Are you okay?" He asked. How the hell could he stay this calm? How wasn't he freaking out too? "How could I be after hearing that?" Ryan retorted. Though he seemed taken aback by his tone. Probably ready to snark back, he just nodded instead. They'd only known each other for a couple of hours but even he could tell that must be unusual for him.

"Don't be so down! I have more to say anyway. So you all better listen the hell up!" The bear was as cheery as ever. There wasn't a single person in the room that wasn't disgusted by it. Eugene was the only one to speak up. "Now hold the fucking phone. You tell us all that and still expect us to listen to you? What do you think we are?"

The bear simply laughed at his remark. "You're trapped baby animals is what you are! Completely at my mercy! I could kill you right now if I wanted to. But that wouldn't be fun now, would it? So shut your pie hole!"

"Now. I am going to hand over your employee handbooks. Call them Monopads, if you will. They have some very important stuff in there, like the rules and all that. You better read it!"

True to what he said, the bear waddled around the room, handing out various tablets to everyone. It would've been funny, seeing it walk like that, if it hadn't been for the situation at hand.

Ryan booted up the 'monopad'. His name appeared on it as it started. The little sound it made when booted up could be heard throughout the room as everyone did the same thing. After that, it gave a couple of options. There was a basic map of the facility, something called 'truth bullets', basic information on the other people and the rules the bear mentioned.

As Monokuma waddled back to the reception's desk. He spoke up again. "I'd suggest you take a look at the rules now. They might be important! Actually, not might. They are!" Just like he said, Ryan took a look at them.

_'1. Employees must stay inside the facility for the rest of their foreseeable future._   
_2\. From 10:00 PM until 7:00 AM certain areas will be off-limit._   
_3\. When an employee kills another employee, they become the blackened and an investigation will start._   
_4\. Some time after the investigation, a class trial will start. If the blackened isn't discovered, they get to be promoted out of the company. The rest of the employees will be executed._   
_5\. If the blackened is discovered, they alone will be executed._   
_6\. Violence against Monokuma is unacceptable._   
_7\. Additional rules may be added as the Monokuma sees fit.'_

Seeing it written down like that was hard. It made it all so much more real. Somewhere, Ryan had hoped there would be an inconsistency with what the bear had told them. Even just for the satisfaction of being able to embarrass him or whatever. It was stupid.

"And with that, I leave you to you killing! Happy murdering everyone!" Just like that, the bear was gone again. Leaving behind confusion and despair.

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in what had just happened. Was this their reality now? Were they really just going to accept having to live here or murder someone? What if someone did decide to kill? What if he was on their hit list? What if...

Keith's voice interrupted Ryan's thoughts. "Come on guys, don't be so down! I'm sure the people outside are already looking for us! It's only a matter of time before we can get out of here." To punctuate his point, he put his hand on Zach's shoulder once more. Shaking it reassuringly. For a moment, the room's tension wasn't as dense anymore. It was the way Keith said it, like he really believe it himself that got everyone hopeful again. But soon enough

"Do you really think that?"

Ryan looked up at the man standing next to him. In fact, everyone was looking at him. He seemed surprised, like he hadn't meant to say it out loud. He did continue. "I mean, I want to believe that as much as any of you. But, think about it. Buzzfeed is such... A presence. And we 14 have been trapped in this building for almost a day now. If someone, the police or whatever, were really coming for us. Wouldn't we be out of here already?"

He did have a point. Ryan hated that he was making sense. Andrew quickly followed "He's right. 'guess the only way out is murder."  
"That's not funny." Steven retorted.

"Whatever happens, no one is going to murder anyone. I mean, none of us would even be capable of doing something like that... Right?" Sara spoke up. After she was done talking. Everyone looked around at each other. Taking her words into consideration.

Helen was quick to break the tension that created. "You know what? It's almost 7. We should go eat instead of worrying about this at all. No one is going to murder anyone. That's all." The finality in her voice left no room for arguing. Definitely not now she mentioned food. Ryan knew everyone must be just as hungry as he was. None of them had eaten all day.

"Then let's go eat!" Ned yelled, and lead the way to the lounge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to think of the murders myself. But if that turns out to be too difficult I'm either going to use murder plots from the games or rip off some detective novels.


	3. Everyday life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene states his concerns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a bit longer than the rest because I rewrote a part of it in preparation of the first murder.

Andrew had been right. There was a lot of food. Everything from ingredients, to snacks, to fully prepared meals. They'd eaten together. Everyone had just taken whatever, whether it was a pizza they'd heat up or just some fruit, it didn't really matter. They talked as if everything was normal. But anyone could tell the conversation was forced. As soon as the conversation ended, Steven would bring up another subject, as if he was allergic to the silence.

Though, Ryan was at least happy that he wasn't letting the room fell silent. If it was this tense with the casual conversation. He couldn't imagine how tense the room would be without it.  
And if he felt more relaxed after dinner than he did before it, good for him. At least now Ryan was thinking he could maybe get some sleep. 

When everyone was done eating they all went to check out those dorms Sara had mentioned. Sure enough, their names were all on one of the doors. Ryan was about to go into his when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Jen was standing behind him. A concerned look on her face. "Don't forget to lock your door." She told him, in a hushed tone. Ryan swallowed, the feeling of dread returning to him as he carefully nodded before quickly getting inside the room.

He took a moment to calm down. Breathing in and out. Then, he looked around the room. His room, he should say. He couldn't help but think about what Shane had said as he picked up the room key from the table. Was no one coming for them? Was it all really that hopeless? No. He couldn't think like that. He'd go crazy if he did.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the monitor inside the room. As Ryan turned his attention to it, the awful bear appeared. Sitting at what looked like an office desk. "Attention all employees." He started. "This is an announcement from your CEO. It is now 10 PM. Which means nighttime starts now. The door to the lounge and kitchen will be off-limits. Sleep tight!"  
Ryan locked the door, like Jen had said. And got ready for bed. He couldn't give up hope. Soon enough, they'd get out and they wouldn't have to hear that awful voice ever again.

MONOKUMA THEATER

"Sometimes you have a hard day. And afterwards, you just want to forget about it. But how do you know that day wasn't just the beginning, and not the peak of bad? How do you know that day of bad doesn't just turn into a week of bad? or a month of bad? Or the rest of your lifetime bad? If you forget about that one day. You'll never know what caused it. That isn't good either."

DING DONG DING DONG

Ryan woke up from his strange dream to the same sound that he'd heard the night prior. The monitor in his room turned on again. Displaying the bear that he'd seen in his dream.  
"Attention all employees! This is an announcement from your CEO. It is now 7 AM. Rise and shine! Have a great day at work today!"

As the monitor turned off, Ryan turned so he was laying face down in bed. He just wanted to go to sleep again. He wanted to sleep for the rest of his life preferably. But he knew he couldn't do that. If there was even a tiny chance that they could make it out of there. He had to help. Plus, he was hungry. Breakfast sounded nice right now.

When he got to the lounge, most people weren't there yet. There was Ned, Eugene, Sara, Zack, Adam and Steven eating. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation too. As he went to join them, Shane stepped out of the kitchen with some hot drink in his hand. He joined them as well, but sat down on the opposite end of the table.

"Good that you got here." Ned started. Leaning forward on the table over his already empty plate. "We were just talking about these computers. Adam checked them out, right?"

"Yeah." He confirmed. Waiting a moment before continuing. "They weren't working, so I checked out one of the cases. The hard drive was missing. So I'm pretty sure it must be like that for every single one." He explained. 

"There's no way to fix that?" Zack asked. Even if they could get one to work, what would they do with it? Does this place have wifi? "Not really, sorry..." Adam clarified. Which was followed by disappointed noises from most present. They were running out of options.

"Can't we check the other rooms again for a way out?" Steven changed the topic. "Wasn't there a storage closet too that no one has checked out yet?" He continued, stuffing a sandwich in his mouth once he finished talking. This earned a shrug from Eugene. "Really, what's the point? What do you plan on finding there besides some brooms and shit?"

As the conversation continued, more and more people started joining them. Until everyone was there except Brent, Keith and Zach. Though, it didn't bother Ryan that they weren't there. After all, they hadn't made a promise to each other to show up there every morning.

There was still that same tension as there was yesterday. Only a simple mention of their situation would break into something bigger. It was unavoidable, Ryan knew. With everything hanging above them. It was only a matter of time.

It was when they were talking about their personal lives, more importantly, their families. That the imaginary bomb went off.

"Would you kill to see them again?"

The room went completely silent at Andrew's words. Even Steven didn't butt into it by trying to change the topic like he usually did when it deranged like this. The usually chatty Ned didn't even attempt to answer. This was unbearable.

After a while, Jen was the first to speak up again. Standing from her seat as she pointed her attention to Andrew. "How could you ask him that?" She yelled. "Especially in here!" Andrew didn't respond. He simply crossed his arms and shrugged. Shane answered instead. "He's sort of right, though. We can't just keep ignoring what is happening to us. If even one of us gets the wrong idea..."

"-We get it!" Interrupted Zack. The poor man looked as uncomfortable with this conversation as Ryan felt. "Shouldn't we just wait for rescuers? Can't we just pretend everything is normal until we're out of here?" Ryan asked. Only to have Shane narrow his eyes at him. "Such naive thinking could be expected from someone who's ultimate is ghost hunting." He remarked. Ryan was about to argue back when Helen responded. "Wait, do you mean no one is coming?" She looked around, near panicking.

"We can't count on it." Eugene shrugged. Everyone knew he was right. "We can't count on the fact that no one here is planning to murder someone either. We barely know each other." He added. Another painfully true statement.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Sara countered. "Actually." Steven began. Fidgeting with the ends of the sweater he was wearing. It was odd to see him so nervous. "I was thinking the same thing when I tried to go to sleep last night." He continued. "I was thinking, maybe, if we make rules about where we can take dangerous things we can prevent it? Or at least make it harder?"

Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea. "So what, we can't take knives out of the kitchen?" Shane asked. Receiving an enthusiastic nod from Steven. "For example!" He exclaimed. "I mean, people could still break that rule if they wanted to. But at least we'd be more alarmed when seeing someone walk around with something like a pair of scissors or whatever." Eugene aided. 

Everyone seemed to agree with this. And as they left the lounge it was with the promise to inform the ones who weren't there but, more importantly, with a slimmer of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first murder is probably going to take place next chapter. Can you guess who it's gonna be?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if anyone actually wants me to continue with this.  
> my tumblr is lev-the-leviathan.tumblr.com


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